The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 327 Decapitation meal

Caishikou, the place where executions are carried out.

At this moment, a large number of common people and scholars have gathered here.

Most of them had just gathered at the city gate to watch the excitement, and a small number were called over by their friends.

After all, the riot that happened not long ago alarmed the entire capital, and the court has never given an explanation.

Because of this, many people are speculating that today's beheading in Caishikou must be related to the riot that happened not long ago.

At this moment, in the cell next to the execution ground, Tang Hao and Li Dongyang were sitting together. The two of them sat opposite each other like friends, and the table was filled with wine and food.

"Eat."

"This 'last meal' is essential. No matter what, you have to eat and drink enough before you go on the road."

Tang Hao said as he poured wine for Li Dongyang.

The grudge between the two of them will be settled today.

Li Dongyang was not polite either. He picked up the wine glass, hesitated for a moment, then drank it all in one gulp and started coughing violently.

After a long while, he smiled bitterly and said, "Since my illness became more serious, I have stopped drinking."

“I didn’t expect that this last beheading wine would leave a different feeling in my heart!”

Tang Hao did not respond, but silently poured him another glass of wine.

Li Dongyang picked up the chopsticks and looked at the table full of delicacies, but he didn't know where to start.

But in the end, he picked up a chicken leg and put it in the bowl, took a small bite, and slowly savored the flavor.

After a long while, he said with an intoxicated look on his face: "This taste is really unforgettable."

"I have this disease, so I can't drink alcohol or eat meat, or I'll vomit blood. But even if I don't drink alcohol or eat meat, I'll still become emaciated if I do it for a long time. That's how my relatives died."

Having said that, Tang Hao was also a little touched.

Li Dongyang's entire family was indeed wiped out. If we rule out the possibility that he was being punished, then the only proof is that this is a hereditary disease in their family. It is quite strange that all the men and women died young.

"Since you are sick, why can't you retreat while you are ahead?"

"If you had known better back then, when His Majesty the Emperor wanted to take back power, wouldn't it be better for you to retire early and return home to enjoy your old age?"

Tang Hao was very puzzled by this.

He has always found it difficult to see clearly what Li Dongyang is.

You say he has no talent or insight, but he is a genius who has risen rapidly all the way and finally became a cabinet minister.

But it was such a person who clung to the power in his hands and chose to confront the Emperor Zhu Houzhao many times. As a result, Zhu Houzhao hated him so much that he sent him to the Ning Wang Mansion and included him in the kill list!

If Li Dongyang had known better and resigned earlier, for example, on the day Liu Daxia retired, would his fate have been better?
Tang Hao didn't know.

Because there are no ifs in this world.

Li Dongyang looked at Tang Hao in a daze and asked a question.

"My whole family is dead, what else do I have to lose?"

Tang Hao finally understood after hearing this.

Speaking of which, Li Dongyang is also a poor man!
His entire family died, his relatives died of illness one after another, and in the end he was the only one left who was still alive.

What does such a person have to lose?

Li Dongyang had lost too much, so he didn't want to lose anything anymore, including power, status and even everything he had!
This is a poor fellow who has been driven to the point of being morbidly possessive.

"You are wrong, your son Li Zhaofan is still alive!"

Tang Hao clapped his hands, and Li Zhaofan walked in tremblingly.

Back then, he took the blame for Li Dongyang and was thrown into the imperial prison, where he has remained ever since.

Fortunately, it was only in the early days of his imprisonment that the Jinyiwei tortured him, and afterwards he was allowed to rest and recuperate, which is why Li Zhaofan has been able to survive until now.

After Li Zhaofan walked into the cell, he knelt down in front of Li Dongyang without saying a word, and then burst into tears without saying a word.

Li Dongyang patted his head and said with tears in his eyes: "Good boy, you have suffered, you have suffered!"

Li Dongyang once believed that his son Li Zhaofan had been killed long ago, so he turned completely evil and regarded Tang Hao and Emperor Zhu Houzhao as his mortal enemies.

After all, Li Zhaofan is the last adult male in their lineage!
Seeing this, Tang Hao had a complicated expression and then walked out of the cell on his own.

"Accompany your father to finish this last meal before execution!"

When Li Zhaofan heard the three words "last meal before execution", he was immediately shocked.

He looked at Li Dongyang in panic and asked, "Father, what is going on?"

Li Dongyang smiled bitterly and shook his head. Without further explanation, he shook the empty wine glass, signaling Li Zhaofan to pour him some wine.

At this point, he is about to be beheaded in public, so he doesn’t care about his illness or dietary restrictions.

Li Zhaofan poured the wine with tears in his eyes, silently serving his father as he always did.

"Zhao Fan, after your father is gone, you should go back to Chaling!"

"Don't become an official. Become a gentleman, live a peaceful life, and expand the Li family. Is that okay?"

Li Zhaofan suppressed his inner grief and forced a smile.

"Okay, that's good too."

"My son doesn't want to get involved in a fight."

"Devoting yourself to academic research is my son's greatest wish." Li Dongyang smiled with relief, then reached out and touched his son again.

"Go ahead. Your father wants to do something for you one last time!"

Li Dongyang has been scheming and fighting all his life, but the only person he feels sorry for is the son in front of him.

Since Li Zhaofan was adopted as his son, he has been serving him attentively and has never shown any complaints or dissatisfaction. He has never used Li Dongyang's power to seek any benefits. He is like a loyal servant who only wants to take good care of him.

As a result, Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao sounded the drum to report the incident, publicly pointing out that Li Dongyang had secretly colluded with Liu Jin and driven Tang Shaozong to seize power. Finally, after much investigation, the case was traced back to Li Zhaofan. Li Dongyang refused to compromise, so Li Zhaofan was imprisoned and his life or death was unknown.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Li Zhaofan was taking the blame for Li Dongyang and thus avoided a disaster.

Therefore, Li Dongyang felt full of guilt towards Li Zhaofan.

Li Zhaofan prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowed three times respectfully to Li Dongyang, and then walked out of the cell.

Then Tang Hao walked in, sat down, and poured himself a drink.

"How's it going? Pretty good to you, right?"

"It's so humane to have your son see you off before you die!"

Li Dongyang looked at this mortal enemy and suddenly smiled.

"Tang Hao, your future fate is destined to be worse than mine!"

"The gentry are not so easy to deal with!"

Li Dongyang was such a shrewd person that he could tell at a glance what the Marquis of Zhongshan wanted to do, or he could say that he had already known the real reason for the Ming Dynasty's poverty!

All the money and grain fell into the hands of the gentry. How could the court and the people not be poor?

And this Marquis Zhongshan, and the Emperor Zhengde behind him, wanted to revive the Ming Dynasty, so they would inevitably take action against the gentry!
But are these gentry and nobles really that easy to deal with?
"You can be violent for a while, or even for a lifetime!"

"But after you die, after Zhengde dies, the gentry will still be gentry. There will be no change!"

"This is true for Taizu Hongwu Emperor and Xianzong Chenghua Emperor. As long as the imperial court exists, the gentry will exist. So what you are doing is totally useless!"

Having said this, Li Dongyang suddenly laughed and seemed to be in a very good mood.

There is nothing more gratifying than knowing that all the efforts and dedication of your mortal enemy throughout his life will be wasted.

The gentry and the wealthy can never be defeated.

As long as the imperial court still exists, the emperor will need the gentry to govern the people for him and educate the common people for him!

And the imperial court will still implement the imperial examination system, so the heritage of the gentry will exist, and there will never be a moment of defeat!
To put it bluntly, if Tang Hao joins hands with Emperor Zhengde, they can only be as violent for a while as Emperor Chenghua, but after the two of them die, the gentry will still make a comeback and can still control the discourse power of this era, and even everything in this era!
Didn't Emperor Chenghua, who was so skilled in tactics, also choose to give up in the end and compromise with the civil officials and gentry?
So what makes you, Tang Hao and Zhu Houzhao?
Tang Hao looked at Li Dongyang, a typical representative of the gentry seeking profit, and did not hide his hostility at all.

"A moment of violence?"

"You think too highly of these gentlemen!"

Tang Hao sneered and said, "When I drove those rebels away and slaughtered the gentry, did they dare to resist?"

"It has been ten years since the scholars started the rebellion. Without military power, it is meaningless for them to fight for power. They are just like the merchants who are being ripped off. When the emperor is short of money, his family will be confiscated and their property will be exterminated to make up for the shortfall. That's all!"

Chinese chives!

The gentry are just like lowly merchants!

Hearing this, Li Dongyang became extremely angry.

"How dare you?"

"How dare you confuse the gentry with the lowly merchants?"

"Aren't they one and the same?" Tang Hao replied coldly, "The gentry support the merchants and manage their industries to make profits for themselves. Isn't this what you always do?"

"Don't think that you are noble just because you have read the books of sages all your life. Don't look down on merchants, craftsmen, or anyone else. The reason you think highly of yourself is nothing more than the privilege the court gives to scholars."

"What if I abolish this privilege?"

After hearing these words, Li Dongyang was struck by lightning and looked at Tang Hao in disbelief.

Abolish the fame and privileges of scholars?

Directly cut off the lifeline on which the gentry depend for survival?
"Tang Hao!"

"Are you crazy?"

"If you really dare to do this..."

"So what if I did it?"

Tang Hao looked at Li Dongyang with a smile.

"Even if I abolish the privileges and honors of you scholars, what does that matter?"

"All soldiers in the world respect me, and His Majesty the Emperor regards me as his own. Do you scholars have any room to resist?"

Li Dongyang stared at Tang Hao in a daze, and finally his face was filled with despair.

"Tang Hou, don't do this!"

He said in an almost pleading tone: "You can't abolish the privileges of scholars!"

Tang Hao slowly stood up and walked out of the cell.

Only the overbearing and rude voice was heard, and Li Dongyang stood there in a daze, not knowing how to respond.

"Your confidence in annexing land, your confidence in thinking highly of yourself, and your confidence in being superior to the common people all lies in this fame and privilege!"

"Then why can't it be abolished?"

(End of this chapter)